Amply demonstrates the values of a positive attitude and a little creative thinking.
One treasure of a penny + one wish = two new friends.
Robots are childhood favorites, and Blink (round and blue) and Block (square and purple), each equipped with pipestem limbs and a sensor, are remarkably expressive. In the beginning, a frowning Block sits alone on a bench along the path to school when an optimistic Blink wanders by scanning for gold, silver, and gems. The more-knowledgeable Block doubts Blink will be successful, especially when Blink finds only a bottle cap and a chewing-gum wrapper—with gum in it. “Ewww.” Still, Blink perseveres and finds a penny, crowing that a penny “can turn into a wish!” There is no wishing well or fountain nearby, so a resourceful Blink throws the penny in a (wishing?) puddle. Block can’t understand Blink’s joyful dance that follows. Blink’s wish couldn’t have come true; after all, Block doesn’t see any gold, silver, or gems. “That’s because I didn’t wish for those things,” explains Blink. Instead, Blink wished for a new friend. With a handshake, the new friendship is sealed, and the two smiling friends set off to find more wishes. Two to four uncluttered but colorful panels per spread create a clear and easy-to-read format, and graceful, unobtrusively repetitious text supports new readers. An info page on sensors concludes the book. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Amply demonstrates the values of a positive attitude and a little creative thinking. (Graphic early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: June 22, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-304945-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperAlley
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.
The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.
Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780063329560
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
Wins for compassion and for the refusal to let physical limitations hold one back.
With such short arms, how can Tiny T. Rex give a sad friend a hug?
Fleck goes for cute in the simple, minimally detailed illustrations, drawing the diminutive theropod with a chubby turquoise body and little nubs for limbs under a massive, squared-off head. Impelled by the sight of stegosaurian buddy Pointy looking glum, little Tiny sets out to attempt the seemingly impossible, a comforting hug. Having made the rounds seeking advice—the dino’s pea-green dad recommends math; purple, New Age aunt offers cucumber juice (“That is disgusting”); red mom tells him that it’s OK not to be able to hug (“You are tiny, but your heart is big!”), and blue and yellow older sibs suggest practice—Tiny takes up the last as the most immediately useful notion. Unfortunately, the “tree” the little reptile tries to hug turns out to be a pterodactyl’s leg. “Now I am falling,” Tiny notes in the consistently self-referential narrative. “I should not have let go.” Fortunately, Tiny lands on Pointy’s head, and the proclamation that though Rexes’ hugs may be tiny, “I will do my very best because you are my very best friend” proves just the mood-lightening ticket. “Thank you, Tiny. That was the biggest hug ever.” Young audiences always find the “clueless grown-ups” trope a knee-slapper, the overall tone never turns preachy, and Tiny’s instinctive kindness definitely puts him at (gentle) odds with the dinky dino star of Bob Shea’s Dinosaur Vs. series.
Wins for compassion and for the refusal to let physical limitations hold one back. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4521-7033-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
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